Perfect Disaster
by Leopardfire892
Summary: She was a straightforward, no-nonsense warrior who vowed never to break the code. He was spirited and carefree, willing to do anything to win her over. But when the Clans are plunged into chaos, an important decision must be made. She called it a disaster; he called it perfect. Rated T because... well, it's Warriors.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Rainkit batted a moss ball across the clearing, feeling lonely. Her brother Stonekit was visiting LightClan with their father, and her sister Wildkit and other brother Beechkit were in the nursery taking a nap with their mother. The camp was quiet. Sunlight dappled the ground, and when Rainkit looked up, she could see the green leaves that covered the clearing rustling in the light breeze.

As she looked around the camp, her gaze found the Elder's den. Of course! They always had a story to tell. She bounced over to the bush, scuttling under the low spreading branches. A light brown tabby she-cat glanced up. "Hello, Rainkit. Come for a story?" Rainkit dipped her head. "Yes please, Hazelcloud," she meowed. Hazelcloud gave a rusty purr. "So polite." She turned and nudged the black tom dozing beside her. "Wake up, Shadowpelt." Shadowpelt woke with a start. "Wha?" He muttered, still groggy. Hazelcloud sighed impatiently. "Rainkit is here and she would like to hear a story," the tabby meowed. Shadowpelt shook himself and sat up. "Hello, young 'un," he greeted Rainkit. Rainkit mewed a shy hello before settling down in the moss.

"What would you like to hear about, Rainkit?" Hazelcloud asked. Rainkit thought for a moment. "I don't know," she mewed slowly. "How about something from the beginning of our Clans?" Hazelcloud and Shadowpelt exchanged a glance, and Shadowpelt nodded for Hazelcloud to go first. She began.

"Rainkit, I am going to tell you about how our Clans came to be. Listen closely.

"A long, long time ago, DarkClan and LightClan were one. This Clan was called DuskClan, named for its founder Duskheart. Duskheart became Duskstar, and she reigned wisely for seasons. But her deputy, Blackjaw, became tired of waiting for her to die. Times were very peaceful back then-still are- the nearest Clans aren't for miles…" The Elder trailed off, staring at nothing in particular. Rainkit couldn't help but burst out, "What other Clans?" "That's a story for another time, youngster," Shadowpelt said hurriedly. With a glance at his denmate, he continued.

"Well, Blackjaw grew tired of waiting for Duskstar to die, so he killed her. He then claimed his nine lives and became Blackstar. "Blackstar was a tyrant. He cared little for the welfare of his Clan. Instead of living in one camp, like we do now, he led the Clan from place to place, fighting and killing wherever they went.

"His deputies were evil like him. When Blackstar came across a rogue that impressed him, he would usually invite that cat to join the Clan and become his deputy. If there was already a deputy, Blackstar would have the two fight to the death for the position. But one day Blackstar's current deputy died after a battle. Blackstar had no choice but to appoint a cat from his own Clan. He chose Featherflight. Featherflight worked hard to get Blackstar to trust her- but at the same time she was planning a rebellion."

Shadowpelt paused, and Rainkit leaned forward eagerly. "What? What happens?" She demanded. Shadowpelt purred. "Alright, alright.

"Blackstar led the Clan into yet another battle. But just as the battle ended, Featherflight confronted Blackstar and told him to step down. However, Blackstar refused, and the two fought. In the end, Featherflight killed him." Shadowpelt glanced over at Hazelcloud. "Would you like to finish?"

Hazelcloud jumped. "What?"

Shadowpelt sighed. "I said, do you want to finish? I was at the part when Featherflight kills Blackstar."

"Oh. Of course," Hazelcloud meowed. "Let's see… After Featherflight killed Blackstar, she led the Clan here and gained her nine lives. Then she made a decision… a decision that would change the Clan forever."

Rainkit leaned forward. "What decision?"

Hazelcloud opened her mouth, but before she could answer, a shadow fell on the ground beside Rainkit. A deep voice meowed "I trust that you aren't feeding this kit lies, Hazelcloud, Shadowpelt." Rainkit glanced up. Beside her stood Rowantooth, a big, dark tabby with one blue and one amber eye. He was the newest warrior, but he already had a reputation for being a fearsome cat. Rainkit shivered.

Hazelcloud glared at him. "Of course, Rowantooth," she growled. "Nothing but the truth from _my_ mouth." The two stared each other down, while Shadowpelt shuffled his paws uncomfortably. Finally Rowantooth turned away. "Come Rainkit. The group from LightClan has arrived." Rainkit cast one last glance at the elders behind her, and then she followed Rowantooth, her tail dragging in the dust behind her.

_What was Hazelcloud going to say? _

_And how did we become two clans?_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi! I'd like to thank Grasswing of Wingclan, Moonbeam141, and GuestA for reviewing! You guys are great! Grasswing, thanks for favorite/following this!**

**Anyway, here's chapter 1.**

Chapter 1

_Duskstar… Blackstar… Feathertail… _Rainpool tossed and turned in her nest. _This is a nightmare, _she told herself._ Wake up!_ But she couldn't. She could only watch helplessly as the wave bore down on the cats below her. Her paws were rooted in place as the swirling water rose up, reaching towards her…

She awoke with a gasp. Terror set her fur on end, made her heart race. It was the same dream she had every night, ever since she'd nearly drowned when, as a kit, she and her siblings had snuck out of camp. She could still feel the icy water closing over her head…

Rainpool shook herself and stretched, glancing down at her nest. Scraps of moss had been kicked about by her scrabbling paws. She sighed. Lately, the dreams had been getting worse. It took longer and longer for her to wake herself up.

Scooping the moss back together, Rainpool gave her messy fur a quick groom before padding outside. The sun was just barely peeking over the trees, casting its weak light down on the camp. Leafbare would end soon, she felt sure of it. She was ready for the warmth, the prey, and for there to be no more snow. Though it hadn't been colder than usual, there'd been much more snow.

Across the clearing, Urchinstar emerged from his den under a small tree. He nodded to Rainpool. "The dawn patrol left just a little while ago. They should be getting back soon, if everything is peaceful. Would you like to lead a hunting patrol?" He asked. Rainpool dipped her head. "Sure. Who should I take?" She meowed. Urchinstar thought for a moment. "Take Maplesong, Leafpaw, and… Rowantooth." He decided.

Rainpool felt her heart sink. She enjoyed hunting with her mother, and Leafpaw was always a delight to be around. But she disliked Rowantooth, mistrusted him. Because a few days after he'd stopped the elders from telling their story, Hazelcloud and Shadowpelt had mysteriously disappeared from camp. And they hadn't come back. Not alive, anyway…

And she was pretty sure she knew who'd done it.

It had happened the night she and her siblings had snuck out.

_The sky was black, but Rainkit felt at home. After all, she was a DarkClan cat. She and her siblings crept through the undergrowth, on their way to the river. Stonekit led the way. Wildkit stuck close to Beechkit's side, shaking with fright at every night sound. Rainkit wished her sister would live up to her name for once._

_Somewhere close by, an animal shrieked. Wildkit responded with a squeak, racing away into the forest. Stonekit and Beechkit ran after her, but Rainkit stayed behind, curious. What had made that noise? It sounded almost… catlike. _

_She scampered in the opposite direction as Wildkit, towards where the shriek had come from. Suddenly a terrible stench hit the roof of her mouth, and she shrank back with a whimper. When she peered through the ferns, she could see paws covered in something sticky. Eyes flashed in the darkness. One ice blue. One amber. Alert. _

Though she didn't know what it was at the time, she would come to learn that the stench was blood.

She never told any cat; no one would believe her. On the outside, Rowantooth was a strong, loyal warrior, respected by his Clanmates. But Rainpool knew better.

Rainpool ducked her head to Urchinstar and padded back to the warrior's den. Poking her head inside, she searched among the cats to find her mother. Maplesong was curled up with her mate, Rainpool's father Stonefoot. Rainpool carefully stepped over stray tails and nudged Maplesong. Both her parents stirred and blinked up at her.

"Hunting patrol, Maplesong," Rainpool hissed. Maplesong nodded and heaved herself to her paws. "Shall I get Leafpaw?" She asked. Rainpool nodded, and Maplesong left to wake her apprentice.

Rainpool turned and made her way to where Rowantooth was curled up. Slowly, tentatively, she stretched out a paw and tapped his side. Instantly he was awake, glaring at her. "Rainpool. What do you want?" He growled. Rainpool forced herself not to back away. "Hunting patrol," she meowed nervously. Rowantooth grunted and climbed to his paws, and Rainpool all but fled the den.

The hunting patrol passed smoothly, though Rainpool could feel Rowantooth's gaze burning into her fur. She wondered if he knew that she knew what he'd done.

And what he might do about it if he did.

**A/N: Was that last line confusing? I'm sorry if it was.**

**I hope you liked it! I'll be updating soon. Please review, it means a lot to me : )**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here are the allegiances! Finally! Hopefully I will update soon- I have friends coming to stay for a week, so it might be a little while. I might be able to update tomorrow, though.**

DarkClan

Leader: Urchinstar- Silver-gray tabby tom with dark green eyes.

Deputy: Lichenfur- Gray she-cat with light blue eyes

Medicine cat: Poppysplash- Small light orange she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice: Bluepaw

Warriors:

Thrushtail- Dark gray tom with white stripes and gray eyes

Greytalon- Grey tabby tom with green eyes

Silverflight- White she-cat with silver stripes and blue eyes

Nightfern- Dark tortoiseshell she-cat with bright green eyes

Pebblepelt- Grey tabby tom with green eyes

Robinheart- Light ginger she-cat with dark green eyes

Apprentice: Russetpaw

Brackenfrost- Light brown tabby tom with blue eyes

Littlemist- Small black and silver she-cat with long fur

Stonefoot- Light gray tom with darker flecks and blue eyes

Maplesong- Tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Rowantooth- Dark tabby tom with one blue and one amber eye

Rainpool- Blue-gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes and darker paws, tail tip and ear tips

Wildbreeze- Tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes and a white chest

Stoneclaw- Gray tom with amber eyes

Beechfur- Tortoiseshell tom with hazel eyes

Apprentices:

Russetpaw- Dark red she-cat with green eyes

Bluepaw- Blue she-cat with green eyes

Queens:

Breezecloud- Light gray she-cat with green eyes, expecting Thrushtail's kits

Lightclan:

Leader: Fernstar- Tortoiseshell she-cat with light green eyes

Deputy: Adderflash- Dark brown tabby tom with white splotches and amber eyes

Medicine cat: Frostflight- Long-furred white she-cat with golden eyes

Warriors:

Lilycloud- Medium gray tabby she-cat with golden eyes

Apprentice: Mosspaw

Finchfur- Ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Jaywind- Blue she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice: Sunpaw

Smokepelt- Large smoky-colored tom with green eyes

Ripplepelt- Dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Stormflower- Gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes and white paws

Pineheart- Dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Reedflame- Tan tabby tom with amber eyes

Snowlight- Blue tortoiseshell with bright blue eyes

Sorrelfur- Light ginger she-cat with hazel eyes

Vinetail- Brown tabby tom with golden eyes

Queens:

Goldenfur- Ginger she-cat with white stripes and green eyes, expecting Ripplepelt's kits

Appleheart- Dark ginger she-cat with green eyes, nursing Smokepelt's kits Fallenkit, Bouncekit and Firekit.

Apprentices:

Sunpaw- Reddish-brown she-cat with amber eyes

Mosspaw- Light tortoiseshell she-cat with golden eyes

Elders:

Dawnspots- Tawny-colored she-cat with blue eyes

**So… yup! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi! I managed to write a whole other chapter today, so I'm updating again! Isn't it awesome? Well, you might not think it's so awesome when you get to the end… but anyways, thanks to everyone who's reviewed, and added this to their favorites or are following this!**

Chapter 2

Rainpool stood in the clearing with her Clanmates, waiting to hear who was going on the visit to LightClan. At the point between the end and the beginning of each season, the two Clans sent a group of cats to each other to visit. It had been that way since LightClan and DarkClan began. Rainpool wasn't sure why. But she bet Hazelcloud and Shadowpelt knew.

"Lichenfur will take Graytalon, Brackenfrost, Robinheart, Maplesong, Rowantooth, Rainpool and Russetpaw." Urchinstar announced. "Pebblepelt will accompany them to guide the group from LightClan back to camp." Rainpool felt a mixture of apprehension and excitement. Excitement because she was going, and it had been a few seasons since she'd last been. Apprehension because Rowantooth was coming. At least her mother was going too.

Lichenfur addressed the Clan. "We will leave as soon as the cats selected are ready," she meowed. "Please eat something, and go to Poppysplash for a check-up." Before any cat could visit LightClan, they had to be checked over by Poppysplash, to ensure that they would not be bringing fleas or disease with them.

Rainpool headed to the medicine den. Inside, Bluepaw was checking her sister Russetpaw, while Poppysplash looked over Brackenfrost. Poppysplash glanced over at her. "I'll be there in a moment," she meowed. Rainpool sat down to wait, looking around at the well-organized cave. Herbs were stacked in niches around the walls, and in one corner a small pool of water rippled. Nests for the sick lined the side wall.

Poppysplash finished with Brackenfrost and turned to Rainpool. Rainpool stood as Poppysplash circled her. "Open your mouth, dear," the medicine cat meowed. Rainpool stretched open her jaws and waited. "M-hm. You can close it now," Poppysplash mumbled. Rainpool closed her mouth. Poppysplash finished the check up, declaring Rainpool to be quite healthy.

After every cat leaving had eaten some prey and been checked by Poppysplash or Bluepaw, they gathered near the entrance. Lichenfur stood at the head of the group. "Are we all ready?" The deputy asked. Every cat meowed an eager yes. "Alright then," Lichenfur meowed. "Let's go!"

Rainpool walked next to Maplesong, and the two chatted a bit. But then they came to the one spot that Rainpool avoided at all costs. She imagined that if she walked behind that bush, she would still see the blood, that it would pool around her paws, suck her down…

"Rainpool, are you okay?" Maplesong was asking. "What? Oh, yes. I'm fine. It's just, um, the forest is so pretty," Rainpool stammered. Maplesong gave her an odd look, but Rainpool's gaze was drawn to something else. Rowantooth was watching her. When he saw her looking at him, he quickly averted his gaze. Rainpool shivered.

The rest of the trip passed in a bit of a blur to Rainpool, who could barely think of anything besides Rowantooth. _He knows. He knows, he knows, he knows. _

Before she knew it, they had reached the border. Across from them, the group from LightClan stood. Lichenfur stepped forward. "Hello, Adderflash," she greeted their deputy. He dipped his head. "Lichenfur." He replied. The groups stood awkwardly for a moment, then Lichenfur meowed, "Um… may we continue into your territory?" Adderflash looked flustered. He was a new deputy, Rainpool knew, and he'd never led the group to DarkClan.

"Oh, sure. Yes," Adderflash stuttered. Lichenfur nodded calmly, then waited expectantly. "Err… may we pass into your territory?" Adderflash meowed quickly. Lichenfur nodded. "You may," she meowed demurely. "Pebblepelt can lead you to camp." Adderflash nodded, looking relieved. The two groups edged around each other and walked on, with Pebblepelt joining LightClan.

Soon they were approaching the entrance to LightClan. Two cats stepped forward to greet them. "Fernstar," Lichenfur meowed respectfully. Fernstar purred. "Welcome back to LightClan," she meowed. The cat beside her- Rainpool remembered her as Frostflight, the medicine cat- turned and led the way into camp.

Cats stopped what they were doing and glanced up curiously. Rainpool glanced around the clearing. Her gaze fell on a den across from her. A tawny she-cat was sitting in front of it, watching Rainpool thoughtfully. An elder. It took Rainpool a moment to bring her name to mind. Dawnspots. Rainpool glanced to her left and saw Rowantooth watching her too.

_Oh no. You are _not_ going to lay a claw on her. _But if he wanted to kill Dawnspots, why hadn't he done it already? He'd been here several times since he'd killed Hazelcloud and Shadowpelt. It didn't make sense.

"Hello? Any cat in there?" A tail slapped her in the face.

"Hey!" Rainpool spat in surprise. The brown tabby in front of her purred. "I knew that-" Before he could finish, Rainpool slammed her paw down his. "-Owwww…. There was a feisty she-cat in there somewhere," he groaned. "Okay, feisty was not the word I was going to use at first, but-" Rainpool spun around and marched away, not interested in what he was about to say.

Unfortunately, he ran after her. "Hi, I'm Pineheart," he meowed cheerfully. Rainpool ignored him and headed towards her mother. The tom, Pineheart, gave her a sideways glance. "And your name is…?"

Rainpool glared at him. He stepped away from her. "Alright, you've killed me already. Are you usually this hostile? Stepping on poor cats' paws and then impaling them with a death glare?" He meowed. Rainpool growled under her breath. He sighed. "At least tell me your name so that I know who hates me so much. And if you don't tell me, I'll ask some cat else."

"Rainpool," Rainpool growled shortly. Pineheart's eyes widened. "She speaks!" He purred. Rainpool stalked away, only to crash into someone else. The two cats tumbled to the ground, and Rainpool's head hit the dirt hard.

This day was going great.

When she opened her eyes, everything seemed a little blurry. Two- or was it four?- cats stood over her, and as the ringing in her ears lessened, she could hear what they were saying.

"Wow, she hit the ground hard. Do you think she's passed out? Wait, she opened her eyes."

Rainpool's vision slowly refocused. The speaker was a pretty gray she-cat with blue eyes. The cat helped Rainpool up.

"Sorry I ran into you there. I really need to start watching where I'm going. Are you okay?" She meowed. Rainpool nodded. "I'm okay now. It's alright. I wasn't watching where I was going either," she replied. "She says sentences! It's amazing!" Pineheart's voice meowed. The other cat rolled her eyes at him. "Be quiet, Pineheart." To Rainpool, she meowed "I'm Stormflower. And you are?" "Rainpool. I'm Rainpool," Rainpool meowed.

Stormflower purred. "Well, I'm guessing you already met Pineheart." Rainpool glanced at the tom. "Yes," she muttered. Pineheart looked amused. "I bet we'll be best friends," he meowed.

The rest of the day passed with Stormflower showing her around, since it had been awhile since Rainpool had been there, and Rainpool trying to ignore Pineheart, who tagged along. When night fell, the DarkClan cats were shown to an unused den to sleep. Rainpool collapsed in her nest, exhausted.

The dream started out the same as usual. Rainpool was standing on the edge of a cliff. Below her, cats were fighting furiously, unaware of the wave bearing down on them. Rainpool tried to open her mouth, to call out to them, but no sound would come. The water swept the cats away, rising upwards. Then the dream changed.

When Rainpool turned, she could see a cat walking towards her. His fur was dark brown, and as he came closer, Rainpool could see his eyes. Blue. Amber. Claws glinted in the sun. Rainpool turned to run, but on her other side, the wave swelled. She was trapped. Just as both Rowantooth and the wave reached her, everything went black.

Hazelcloud appeared. Rainpool gasped. "Oh, Hazelcloud, please, you have to tell me-" But the brown tabby wasn't looking at her. She was staring at something behind her, but when Rainpool turned, she couldn't see anything. When she looked back, Hazelcloud was gone. A voice echoed in her mind. _Run._

Rainpool's eyes flew open, and she found herself staring into another pair of eyes, one blue and one amber.

**A/N: Mwahaha, cliffy! I just love those : ) Also, this is the longest chapter so far! Yay! I will try to update soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **

**Willowsmoke of ShadowClan: No, I was being cruel, especially knowing that it might be a while before I could update. **

**Thank you **_**so **_**much! Seriously, your review made my day. And the day after that. And the day after that : )**

Chapter 3

_Eyes widening._

_Muscles tensing._

_Heart pounding._

Rainpool froze as she stared into Rowantooth's mismatched eyes. _I'm so dead. _

"You were having a nightmare." Rowantooth growled. Rainpool sat up and shuffled backwards, away from him. He stepped closer. "Care to tell me what it was about?"

Not going to happen. _"Yeah, I was dreaming about how you're a _murderer_, because, you know, I just happened to see you in the woods. In the middle of the night. On the night Hazelcloud and Shadowpelt were killed. What a coincidence, right?" _Yep. _So_ not going to happen.

"Fire." The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

Rowantooth narrowed his eyes at her. "Fire?"

Rainpool glared at him. "Are you hard of hearing? Yes. Fire." Did she really just say that? _Rainpool, you stupid mouse-brain, you're _supposed_ to be _trying_ to stay on his good side. Do you _want_ to be killed?!_

Rowantooth sat back. "Fire," he repeated, looking thoughtful. Rainpool was instantly confused. "Um, I'm just going to go get some fresh air, if you don't mind…" Rainpool edged around him and slipped outside. His gaze followed her, still thoughtful.

Rainpool took deep gulps of the night air, trying to calm her racing heart. _Did that really just happen? _She didn't like Rowantooth's expression after she'd said she'd dreamed about fire. Why did he look so thoughtful? Almost curious? Like… almost like…

Another thought hit her. How had Rowantooth known she had been dreaming? Had she cried out? She rarely woke any cat with her nightmares, and on the occasions she did, it was because she'd kicked them, because she never gave so much as a mew while sleeping. She'd been careful to make her nest far enough away from the others that she wouldn't hit them. So how had he known?

Rainpool began to pace. Questions bounced around in her head. _What did his expression mean? How did he know I was dreaming? Does he know that I know he's a murderer? What was Hazelcloud going to say? What…? What…?_

"Is everything all right?" A voice meowed behind her.

Rainpool whipped around. Standing there was a light tan tabby tom. His amber eyes watched her in concern. Rainpool recognized him as Pineheart's brother, Reedflame.

"Fine. Everything's fine." Rainpool meowed shortly. "I just couldn't sleep, that's all."

Reedflame nodded slightly. "Of course."

The two stood there awkwardly for a moment. Finally, Reedflame cleared his throat. "Would a walk help?"

For a moment, Rainpool was tense. _No. Walks at night are what get you killed, _she thought bitterly. Yet for some reason she felt like saying yes. It was impulsive and crazy, but…

She looked at him. "Yes. I think it might."

The moon was beautiful tonight. Rainpool felt relaxed and happy for the first time in a long while. She and Reedflame chatted- Rainpool found him much more likeable than his brother, who irritated her to no end.

"Yes, Stormflower's quite a character. My brother, too. Dragged me along on many adventures that didn't exactly turn out as planned…" Reedflame continued, but Rainpool stopped as his words brought back the night she and her siblings had snuck out. That adventure hadn't turned out as planned, either…

Reedflame looked back at her in confusion. "Did I say something wrong…?" He meowed. _Um… sort of, _Rainpool thought. Aloud she meowed, "No, no. But I think I really should be getting some rest now." Then she added, "Thanks for the walk. It did help." Reedflame dipped his head. "Anytime," he meowed. For some reason, Rainpool's fur felt hot, and she quickly ducked her head and turned to walk back to camp. Reedflame hurried up to walk beside her.

Soon they were entering the camp. Rainpool meowed a quick hello to the guard at the fern tunnel, said goodnight to Reedflame, and ducked into her den- unaware of the two brilliant green eyes watching her from LightClan's warriors' den. Or the gaze that followed her from the elder's den.

Rainpool woke that morning, feeling refreshed. She hadn't dreamed again after she'd gone back to sleep. Cold sunlight streamed in through the branches of the bush she was under. _It still isn't newleaf, _she thought sadly, shivering. _But almost. _

In the clearing, Fernstar stood on the boulder to address the Clan. "Today, we will be fishing and swimming. We will have two groups of cats swimming downstream, and two groups fishing upstream." She announced. Rainpool cringed, remembering the last time they'd gone swimming. She had refused to go any farther into the river than the shallows beside the bank, terrified that she'd be swept away.

"Rainpool and Brackenfrost will go with Pineheart, Reedflame and Lilycloud for beginning swimming. Maplesong and Graytalon will go with Sorrelfur, Snowlight and Smokepelt for advanced swimming. Stormflower, Sorrelfur and Finchfur will take Robinheart and Russetpaw for beginning fishing and Vinetail, Ripplepelt and Jaywind will be with Rowantooth and Lichenfur for advanced fishing." Fernstar finished.

Rainpool met up with Brackenfrost. He was a only few moons older than her, and they had been apprentices together for about three moons. He flicked his tail to her in greeting, and Reedflame and Pineheart came pushing through the crowd with Lilycloud trailing after them.

"Hi," Reedflame meowed to Rainpool. "Did you sleep well?" Rainpool dipped her head with a purr. "Yes, thank you," she replied. Pineheart watched them, looking slightly uncomfortable. Before Rainpool could figure out why, Lilycloud padded up and the group set off for the river.

As they went, Rainpool tried to suppress the growing panic inside her. Reedflame walked beside her, glancing over at her every once in a while, like he knew something was wrong. But neither cat said anything. Brackenfrost walked on her other side, looking lost in thought, while Pineheart walked close to Lilycloud. So close, in fact, that their fur brushed a few times. For some reason, Rainpool didn't like that. She finally decided that it was because Lilycloud was too old for him- in her opinion, anyway.

For some reason, she started thinking about the warrior code. Duskstar had set down certain rules that she said came from StarClan, their ancestors. _Kits must be at least six moons old before they are apprenticed. A medicine cat cannot take a mate. Elders and kits must be fed first. A cat from LightClan and a cat from DarkClan cannot be mates. _That last was one slightly newer, added by Featherstar, Rainpool supposed, or whoever was leader at the time DuskClan split.

Her paw touched something cold and wet, and she leaped back with a shriek. They had come to the edge of the river. The others stood a few tail lengths back, staring at her. Finally, Lilycloud meowed "As I said, we're here. If you'll rejoin us, Rainpool, I will start the lesson." Ears burning, Rainpool hurried to join the group. Lilycloud began, "Okay. Pineheart, you will work with Rainpool, and Reedflame, you will work with Brackenfrost. We will start with…"

A short while later, they were getting into the river. Rainpool padded to the edge and looked down at the swirling water. Near the banks, the water was shallow, but farther out Rainpool lost sight of the bottom. Pineheart was already sliding in, and he turned back to blink at her. With a deep breath, Rainpool put a paw into the water.

Immediately she yanked it back. "I can't do it," she whispered. Pineheart swam closer. "Come on, just step into the shallows. It's not so bad," he encouraged. Rainpool shook her head. "You don't understand!" She choked out. Pineheart climbed out next to her. A fox length upstream Reedflame and Brackenfrost were paddling against the current while Lilycloud yowled out instructions.

Pineheart nudged her forward. "If Brackenfrost can do it, you can too," he meowed under his breath. Rainpool grimaced. She didn't want to have the others think she was a coward. Tentatively she placed first one forepaw, then the other into the river.

It was cold. Pineheart hopped into the water, sending some of it splashing over Rainpool's fur. "Hey!" She yelped. Pineheart smirked and waded deeper. Rainpool steeled herself and took a few steps forward. Now all four paws were in the river. In the shallows, the current only tugged weakly, and Rainpool began to feel a little more confidant. With a flick of her paw, she sent water cascading over Pineheart's head, and he spluttered in surprise.

"Ha!" Rainpool purred at the look on his face. He snorted. "I told you it would be fine!" He meowed. "Come out a little further!"

Rainpool hesitated, then slowly stepped forward. The water was lapping at her belly fur now. She took another step forward. Her paw landed on a slippery rock under the water, and with a cry of shock her head went under.

Panic gripped her, and she thrashed, struggling to get to the surface, to get air. Her paw hit something, and she pushed against it, trying to propel herself upwards. Teeth met her scruff, and suddenly she was being hauled towards what she'd originally thought was the side. Air hit her face. Huh. Turns out the "side" was actually the surface. Go figure.

Rainpool gasped, feeling sweet air flood her lungs once more. What a wonderful feeling! To be able to breath!

When she blinked, she found herself staring into Pineheart's deep green eyes. They were round with worry. Then he relaxed as he saw she was okay. "For a moment I thought you really were dead, Rainy," he purred. "Don't call me that," Rainpool croaked.

She took a minute to locate all her body parts. There was her tail, still hanging on back there. Apparently she still had her ears, since she could hear, but at the moment she couldn't feel them. And finally there were her legs and paws, firmly planted on the riverbed in the shallows.

Pineheart flicked her nose with his tail. "I think we'll practice diving some other time," he joked. "How about we work on staying afloat for now, okay?" His tone was light, but his eyes were serious.

Rainpool hesitated, feeling conflicted. On one side, if she learned how to swim there was less chance that she'd drown later. On the other, she just wanted to get out of the water right now and never set paw in it again. Pineheart was watching her. "We can do whatever you want," he meowed quietly.

Suddenly Rainpool knew what she wanted.

"Staying afloat it is," she meowed.

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I made up for it with and extra-long chapter, though **

**: ) Almost 2,000 words! Which do you like better, longer chapters but more time between updates, or quick updates but shorter chapters? **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi! Thanks, Grasswing of Wingclan, for reviewing :) **

Chapter 4

Rainpool stared out over the swirling water and her legs trembled. Pineheart pressed reassuringly against her. "Don't worry, I won't let you drown. But then again, you haven't exactly been the nicest to me…" He trailed off. Rainpool glared at him. "If you don't let me drown, maybe I'll be nicer in the future," she growled. "But no promises."

Purring in amusement, Pineheart took a step forward, forcing Rainpool to do the same. The waves lapped almost at her belly fur. Brackenfrost swam up, holding his nose high above the water. "Hi Rainpool," he choked out. Reedflame paddled next to him, looking much more at ease. He glanced at Pineheart. "Don't let her drown, brother," he meowed. His words were light, but there was something in his tone that Rainpool couldn't quite identify- nor did she want to at the moment, considering her situation. She wished Reedflame were her partner though. She really did not need Pineheart's sarcasm right now.

Slowly she stretched out her paw, not putting too much weight on it until she was sure it wouldn't slide out from under her. Then she did the same with her other paws. Pineheart stepped with her, but he didn't press quite close this time. The next time she went forward, he stayed back.

"You're doing good! I'll swim out in front of you, okay?" He called. Rainpool sucked in a breath and nodded. "Okay."

Pineheart struck out strongly against the current, sweeping around until he was in front of Rainpool. Rainpool took another step forward, and the water swirled at her sides, almost covering her back. Pineheart judged her position for a moment, then called "I think you'll have to swim now. Do you want me to swim beside you?" Swallowing her pride, Rainpool meowed a quick "Yes."

Pineheart was soon beside her. "Keep your head up and paddle like you're running," he meowed. _I can't believe I'm really doing this,_ Rainpool thought. With a deep breath,

_Oh please, StarClan, don't let me drown,_ she surged forward.

The water lapped at her chin, and she tilted her head back as far as she dared. _work your paws like you're running._ The thought echoed over and over in her head. Swimming was hard work! It was difficult to breath.

"Great, Rainpool!" Pineheart yowled behind her. "I thought you were swimming with me!" Rainpool choked out. A few seconds later, Pineheart was by her side. "Sorry," he gasped. "But you don't really need me."

"My confidence does. Also, I can't breath!" Rainpool meowed. Pineheart glanced at her. "You don't need to hold your head so far back," he meowed. Rainpool relaxed her head a little more, and found that it was quite a bit easier to breath that way. "Try swimming into the current," Pineheart meowed in her ear. "That way, you won't get swept downstream." He was right, Rainpool realized, glancing to her left, they were getting close to where Reedflame and Brackenfrost were practicing.

Rainpool wasn't exactly sure how to turn around, but she tried pushing her paws towards the left to turn her to the right. To her surprise, it worked.

"You see? You've got natural swimming instincts," Pineheart meowed loudly so she could hear, and added, "Are you sure at least one parent isn't from LightClan?" Rainpool rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha," she meowed. "Really! You're swimming like a fish!" Pineheart insisted.

Rainpool began to feel a bit more comfortable in the water, and she spun herself around a few times, careful not to get pushed downstream. Pineheart swam in lazy circles around her, sometimes ducking under the surface and swimming underwater. The next time he came up, Rainpool used her tail to flick water at him. "Showoff," she teased. He growled playfully at her and sent water splashing into her face. Rainpool gasped and spluttered, and Pineheart looked apologetic. "I'm sorry Rainpool, I-" Before he could finish, he got a wave in his face. Rainpool purred and quickly ducked away before he could splash her back.

Downstream, Reedflame watched their antics, his expression unreadable.

All too soon for Rainpool, it was time for the swimming and the fishing groups to switch. Rainpool climbed out of the water and shook herself, fluffing up her fur and pacing to get warm in the cool leaf-bare air. She walked over to Brackenfrost and Lilycloud after saying goodbye to Pineheart and Reedflame and the three of them set off upstream.

Soon they met up with Finchfur leading Robinheart and Russetpaw, and the DarkClan cats switched mentors. Finchfur was cheerful, asking Brackenfrost and Rainpool how swimming had been. Before long they were at the site for beginning fishing.

"Brackenfrost will work with Sorrelfur, and Rainpool will work with Stormflower," Finchfur announced. Stormflower bounced over to Rainpool. "Hi!" She chirped. "How was swimming? Who did you work with?"

"Swimming was pretty good, actually. I worked with Pineheart," Rainpool meowed. Stormflower made a face. "Was he his usual sarcastic self?" She purred. "Sort of," Rainpool meowed. Stormflower nodded. "Well, let's get to work. Sit at the edge of the river so that…"

Rainpool wasn't so great at fishing.

By the end of the day, she had caught one small fish and had fallen in the water three times. But it didn't matter so much to her. She was still elated over the swimming lessons. Maybe, just maybe, water wouldn't be in her nightmares anymore.

**A/N: This chapter is kind of on the shorter side, sorry. Anyways, if you haven't noticed, I published another Warriors fanfic called Dusk, and it relates to this. So it would be great if you checked that out! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey! Sorry this took so long. **

**Blossom (guest): Hehe… can't tell you :) Thanks!**

**Featherstream100: I'd love to! Would you like to give me a personality? You **

**don't have to, but it would be great if you did :)**

Chapter 5

Rainpool was standing in an unfamiliar clearing. She'd been on a hunting patrol,

and they had split up to look for prey. The bright sun shone down through the

leaves, and the ground was covered in springy green moss. Flowers dotted the

ground here and there, and a butterfly fluttered by.

Suddenly a red leaf bounced off her nose, and she leaped back in surprise. More

leaves floated down, faster and faster in a whirl of red and gold and orange.

Rainpool leaped around like a kit, batting leaves out of the air, until no more fell.

As Rainpool watched, snow began to fall. Soon she was standing in a huge pile of

the stuff. Now the sun didn't shine as warmly, and the trees stretched their skeleton

branches towards it, desperate for the light. Rainpool shivered.

But the sun began to warm the clearing, and the snow slowly started to melt. The

sun grew hotter, and a moment later Rainpool was standing in a puddle halfway up

her legs. The ground wouldn't accept any more water, she realized.

A roar reached her ears. Before she knew what was happening, she had burst out

from the trees and was at the river. Only it wasn't a river anymore- it was a wave. A

massive wave, bearing down on her. _StarClan, help me!_

Rainpool forced open her eyes, still shaking. The dream had been so real. _But that's_

_all it was,_ she reminded herself. _Just a dream._

She gave herself a quick groom before padding outside. The sun was just rising over

the treetops, and birds were singing somewhere in the forest. The snow seemed to

have melted a bit, reminding Rainpool again of her dream. She pushed aside her

uneasiness and walked towards the fresh-kill pile. Picking up a plump vole, she

faced the elders' den. Nervousness now rose up inside her.

Today she would go to see Dawnspots, the only elder of LightClan. Dawnspots

might be able to finish Hazelcloud and Shadowpelt's story. Maybe Rainpool could

get some answers, figure out why Hazelcloud and Shadowpelt were killed. She

forced her paws to carry her forward.

Inside the den, Dawnspots was stretching. She glanced up at Rainpool. "Oh, hello.

You must be Feather… Feather…" Dawnspots trailed off, looking puzzled.

Rainpool felt the same way. "Feather who?" She asked. Dawnspots wrinkled her

nose. "Can't you remember your own name?" She meowed.

"I'm not Feather… whoever. I'm Rainpool," Rainpool meowed, nudging the vole

forward. "I brought you this, if you're hungry."

But Dawnspots ignored the prey. "Flight! That's it, Featherflight!" She began

mumbling something about the flight of a feather.

Rainpool stood, shocked and speechless. Featherflight? What was Dawnspots

talking about?

Suddenly the elder glanced up. "Well? What are you waiting for? Tell me what you

came to tell me! Although if it's another prophecy, I don't want to hear it! I am not

a medicine cat anymore! Frostflight is a perfectly capable medicine cat! Give her all

your Blackjaw, tree eyed whatever nonsense!"

Rainpool backed away slowly. "I'm not Featherflight! I don't know what you're

talking about!" She meowed.

Dawnspots advanced on her. "Where's Duskstar? I want Duskstar!" She yowled

agitatedly.

Frostflight hurried into the den. Seeing the situation, she rushed to Dawnspots' side.

"Dawnspots, please sit down. Have some fresh-kill. Everything's alright. Nobody is

going to get you, okay?"

Slowly the elder allowed herself to be led back to her nest. She settled down and

began to eat the vole, completely forgetting about Rainpool. Frostflight murmured

soothing words for a minute, then she padded over to Rainpool.

"I'm so sorry! She was having another hallucination. They started happening a few

seasons ago when she was the medicine cat; that's why she had to retire. Are you

okay?"

Rainpool felt stiff. She had to force herself to nod. "I'm fine." She cast one last

glance at Dawnspots before Frostflight led her out of the den. The tawny she-cat

looked up, narrowing her blue eyes as she met Rainpool's gaze.

Reedflame padded over when he saw Rainpool emerge from the den. "Is everything

alright? I heard her yowling," he meowed worriedly. "Was she having another fit?"

Rainpool shrugged. "I guess," she meowed. Inside she was thinking, _Why _

_Featherflight, of all cats? And why not call her Featherstar? She became leader,_

_after all…_

Reedflame touched her shoulder with his tail, then meowed "Would you like to go

hunting?" Rainpool considered this. It would be nice to get out, and it would help

take her mind off of her dream, and Dawnspots. "Sure," she meowed to Reedflame.

The two strolled out of the camp, chatting easily. "How do you like swimming?"

Reedflame asked. "Much better than I thought I would," Rainpool admitted.

Reedflame nodded, purring. "You want to go fishing?" Rainpool rolled her eyes.

"I'm a terrible fisher, but sure!"

The river was as freezing as it had been yesterday, Rainpool discovered after she

fell in, though all the ice had melted a few days ago. Coughing, she managed to

paddle to the shore before she was swept too far downstream. Reedflame hauled her

out of the water, and she collapsed gasping in the snow.

"Are you okay?" Reedflame meowed anxiously, standing over her. Rainpool

flopped over onto her back. "No! I'm dying!" She wailed. "Should I get a medicine

cat?" Reedflame asked quickly. Rainpool blinked up at him. "No. I'm fine. I was

just kidding." She meowed slowly. "Oh. Okay," Reedflame mumbled.

An awkward silence settled over them.

Rainpool sprang up. "Let's run to warm up," she urged. Without waiting to hear

Reedflame's reply, she raced into the trees.

Air whooshed in her ears as her paws sent snow flying. The trees blurred together,

and Rainpool focused only enough to dodge obstacles in her path. When she finally

stopped, she was standing in a small clearing surrounded by trees and bushes. With

a shock, she realized that it was her dream clearing.

Reedflame skidded to a stop beside her, panting. Seeing Rainpool staring around, he

meowed, "You're standing on a cat's burial place, you know." Rainpool leaped

backwards. "What? Are you just joking, or…?" She trailed off. "I'm serious,"

Reedflame meowed. "Who was… buried?" Rainpool found herself asking.

Reedflame shrugged. "I don't know. But Dawnspots might, and if she does she

might tell you if you catch her in a good mood."

Rainpool glanced around one last time, then turned away. "Let's go back to camp,"

meowed.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi! Thanks to Alligatorgirl02 and Grasswing of Wingclan for reviewing!**

Chapter 6

Rainpool felt sick as she trotted back towards camp, Reedflame trailing after her. She kept flicking her paws and wondering whose burial spot she'd been standing on. Featherstar's? Duskstar's? It had to be an important cat to still be remembered.

_It doesn't really matter, anyways. _Rainpool shivered, fluffing up her damp fur and wishing the snow was gone. It was melting _so slowly._ She hoped the sun would warm up and chase the snow away.

When she pushed through the fern tunnel she found herself nose to nose with Stormflower. Both silver tabbies jumped back in surprise.

"Sorry!" Rainpool and Stormflower meowed at the same time. Rainpool purred. "It's my fault, really," she meowed. Stormflower shook her head. "No, it's my fault," she insisted. "At least we didn't collide this time!"

"Rainpool, could you please move?" Reedflame's voice came from behind Rainpool. Rainpool started, and hurried to move away from the tunnel so that Reedflame walked into camp. "That was a nice… er, walk," he meowed to Rainpool. Suddenly Rainpool realized that they'd started out hunting. She'd completely forgotten about it. Whoops.

It was nearly sunhigh, and cats were doing various tasks. "I feel so idle," Rainpool admitted to Stormflower. "So far all I have done today was bring a vole to Dawnspots- and then she had a hallucination- and fall into a river. Are there any patrols that we could join or something?"

"Well, there's already a territory patrol… Maybe we could have a hunting patrol?" Stormflower suggested. Rainpool opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted as a yowl rang out from the nursery.

Appleheart appeared in the entrance. "Goldenfur's kits are coming!" She meowed anxiously. Stormflower gave a worried meow. "They're a half a moon early." At first that didn't seem like much to Rainpool, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized just how long half a moon could be for a developing kit.

Frostflight hurried out of her den. "Where's Ripplepelt?" She mumbled around a mouthful of herbs. "He went out on a patrol," Vinetail meowed. "I'll go find him!" The brown tabby raced out of camp, followed by his sister Sorrelfur.

Fernstar emerged from her den as Appleheart nudged her kits out of the nursery. "But we want to stay!" Fallenkit wailed. Appleheart shook her head. "We need to give Goldenfur some space," she meowed gently. "Why don't you go find your father? I believe he's in the warriors' den." Excited at the idea of going into the warriors' den, the kits raced off.

Stormflower shifted beside Rainpool. "I hope the kits make it. Goldenfur and Ripplepelt will be devastated if…" She trailed off. Rainpool murmured in agreement. Both tabbies pawed at the ground with a hind paw, without really thinking about it. Rainpool did it whenever she was nervous- which meant that she'd been doing it a lot lately.

Frostflight poked her head out of the nursery. "Can someone please fetch me a stick? A thick one?" She meowed urgently. "I will," Reedflame offered, hurrying off. Cats stood around the camp in groups, talking nervously. Fernstar leaped up onto the large rock she used to make announcements.

"It won't do any good simply waiting around. Lilycloud, will you please lead a hunting patrol? Take whoever you want," She meowed. Lilycloud nodded and glanced around. "I'll take Jaywind and Sunpaw and…" She hesitated. "Maplesong? Would you like to go?" Rainpool's mother slowly dipped her head. "Sure," she meowed. Jaywind, Lilycloud's sister, called Sunpaw over and the patrol walked to the entrance. But before they could leave, Lilycloud was nearly knocked over by Ripplepelt charging through. He raced into the nursery. Vinetail and Sorrelfur emerged from the entrance more slowly, panting hard.

Rainpool turned to Stormflower. "What should we do?" She meowed. Stormflower shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "Maybe-" Before she could continue, Pineheart strolled over. Stormflower rolled her eyes at him and meowed sarcastically, "Not you again."

Unfazed by her comment, Pineheart sat down next to her. "Come on, Stormflower. I know you love me," he meowed jokingly. Stormflower made a disgusted sound. "I'm afraid you are mistaken," she growled. Pineheart purred in amusement, while Rainpool stood rather awkwardly. Stormflower noticed how uncomfortable she was and stretched.

"I'm hungry. What about you, Rainpool?"

"Ravenous," Rainpool replied, grateful for her thoughtful friend. She hadn't eaten anything since a small shrew last afternoon.

"Me too," piped up Pineheart. Stormflower purred. "When are you _not_ hungry?" She questioned him. "In the half a second after I eat. Then I'm hungry again," Pineheart replied easily. Choking on laughter, the two she-cats led the way to the fresh-kill pile.

Or what used to be the fresh-kill pile. There was nothing left but a few feathers. Rainpool sighed in disappointment. "Let's just go hunting," she meowed to Stormflower. "Agreed," Pineheart chirped. Stormflower glared at him. He stared back mischievously. "Fine," Stormflower sighed.

The trio headed out of the camp. Once outside, Pineheart became serious and tasted the air. "How about we head to the Old Oak?" He suggested. Rainpool purred. "Anything that's not fishing sounds great!"

Rainpool kept her ears pricked as they walked quietly through the snow. The most likely prey to find was squirrels and birds; little rodents were probably tucked away in their burrows. _But not for long,_ Rainpool thought. _Soon it will be newleaf._

Pineheart raised his tail for them to stop and dropped into a hunting crouch. Rainpool could see a scrawny blackbird pecking at a bush a few fox-lengths away. Pineheart crept forward slowly. Rainpool held her breath as the dark brown tabby narrowed his eyes, focusing on his target, getting ready to leap…

A crack sounded behind them and the bird took to the air. At the same time Pineheart gave an enormous leap and snagged his claws on the blackbird's tail, landing with a thump in the snow and quickly killing his prey. Rainpool congratulated him with a purr and turned to see what had startled the bird.

Rowantooth stepped out.

A cold prickle went up Rainpool's spine as his amber and blue eyes rested on her for a fleeting second before he turned to Pineheart.

"A magnificent catch. I am sorry I spooked your prey," Rowantooth meowed smoothly. Pineheart shrugged. "It's fine." His green eyes were slightly wary, and Rainpool felt relieved that she wasn't the only one who mistrusted Rowantooth. But she might be the only one who knew what he'd done…

"Rainpool, are you coming?" Stormflower's voice shook her out of her thoughts. Looking around, Rainpool realized that Rowantooth had left, and her friends were a few fox-lengths away, looking back at her expectantly. Rainpool hurried to catch up.

When they arrived back in camp, Pineheart carrying his blackbird and a small shrew, Stormflower carrying a water vole and Rainpool holding a small squirrel, they found cats gathered around the nursery. Swiftly dropping their prey where the pile should be, the three trotted over to the others.

"What's going on?" Rainpool asked Russetpaw. "Goldenfur has had one kit so far, a small silver tabby she-kit. She's very weak, and Frostflight doesn't expect her to live," the apprentice murmured sorrowfully.

Rainpool sighed sadly and turned to Stormflower, who, by the look on her face, had heard Russetpaw's words. Pineheart was staring at the nursery, digging his claws into the ground in frustration.

Several minutes later, Frostflight poked her head out of the den. "I have some bad news… and some good news," she meowed slowly. "Two of Goldenfur's kits are dead." A sorrowful murmur came from the cats. "However, she has two kits that are still hanging on. I think at least one of them will make it," Frostflight finished before disappearing into the den.

"I'm glad at least one of them will make it," meowed Stormflower. "With any luck, both of them will. But poor Goldenfur…"

The hunting patrol walked into camp. Seeing everyone crowded around the nursery, they dropped their prey and walked over to hear the news.

Lilycloud was walking beside Maplesong. The two she-cats glanced at Rainpool before stopping to talk to Snowlight.

"I lost a sibling right after I was born," Stormflower meowed, so quietly that Rainpool wondered if she was talking to herself. But then Stormflower continued. "My mother was walking near the DarkClan border. We came early, and… my sister didn't make it." The silver tabby looked away, grief evident on her face.

"I'm so sorry," Rainpool murmured, wondering how it would feel to lose one of her brothers or her sister.

"My father was killed in a fight with a fox a few moons ago. Now it's just me and my mother," Stormflower sighed.

"Who is your mother?" Rainpool asked.

"Lilycloud."

Rainpool studied the gray she-cat beside Maplesong. "You look a lot like her."

"Yes. I got my blue eyes from my father, though. He was a dark bluish-gray tabby."

Rainpool nodded slightly. Then, hoping to cheer her friend up, she meowed, "Are you still hungry? I know I am. We can take some prey to Goldenfur and then have some ourselves."

Stormflower agreed with a purr.

**A/N: So, kind of a filler chapter, but I managed to add some important things. I will try to update soon!**


End file.
